The hire raises further doubts about Youngkin’s interest in a 2024 presidential campaign, following a recent appearance at a private donor retreat in Sea Island, Ga., where the Virginia governor appeared uninterested in entertaining questions about a run for national office, according to multiple people present.
Roe had previously told others that he felt loyalty to Youngkin, but in a February appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” the strategist said he sees the Republican nomination contest as a two-person race between DeSantis and former president Donald Trump, with “no room for a third or fourth, or even fifth person in this race.” Roe, who later said those comments were not a comment on Youngkin’s potential, has previously indicated that he expects his firm, Axiom, to only work for a single presidential candidate this cycle, rather than splitting loyalties.
A spokeswoman for Youngkin’s office did not respond Wednesday night to a request for comment. Roe’s move to Never Back Down was first reported by Politico.
Never Back Down, which announced its formation earlier this month, is headed by Ken Cuccinelli, who served as acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Trump administration, and Chris Jankowski, a former official at the Republican State Leadership Committee, who has previously worked with Phil Cox, a top adviser to DeSantis.
Jankowski worked for an anti-Youngkin political action committee during the 2021 governor’s race. Virginia Cornerstone PAC, which Jankowski insisted was unaffiliated with any candidate, painted Youngkin as an out-of-touch investor. “Youngkin puts profits over people,” one of its videos declared.
DeSantis has over $80 million in his state political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, which cannot be transferred into a presidential campaign since it was not collected in accordance with federal campaign finance rules for candidates. Much of that is left over from his gubernatorial race last year, but the committee has continued to rake in large donations, taking in about $10 million in February.
However, DeSantis’s state political committee could attempt to transfer its funds to an independent group that would aid a DeSantis presidential campaign, raising the likelihood that Never Back Down soon finds itself with a solid financial footing to pay for advertising and even field operations to support the DeSantis campaign. Under federal campaign finance rules, independent groups that raise unlimited funds cannot directly coordinate on spending strategies with the candidates they support.
Never Back Down is asking donors to give no more than $3,300 so it can be forwarded into a possible DeSantis presidential campaign once it is formed.
Youngkin, who became a GOP star in 2021 when he won the governor’s race in Virginia, courted national donors at a retreat in September, including many out-of-state benefactors interested in testing his mettle as a presidential contender. Roe appeared at that event, helping to moderate discussions.
But the buzz around a possible Youngkin campaign for president has been fading in recent months, as the governor has focused on his legislative agenda and elections later this year in his state. Under Virginia law, Youngkin cannot seek a consecutive second four-year term.
Youngkin was given a prime speaking slot at a recent retreat hosted by the American Enterprise Institute in Sea Island, Ga., but multiple attendees at the closed-door gathering said he focused his comments on his accomplishments in Virginia and the upcoming legislative elections in the state. While other speakers, such as former vice president Mike Pence and Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.), made clear they were considering a run for president and laid out a vision for national office, Youngkin demurred, they said.
“It was missed softball after missed softball,” said one attendee at the event, referring to Youngkin’s performance in front of a crowd focused on 2024. “He had every opportunity.”
Axiom has grown in recent years to become one of the largest Republican consulting firms in the country, with 17 different operations that handle all parts of campaigning, including field operations, data collection and television advertising. In addition to the Youngkin race in 2021, Roe worked on a number of Republican Senate races in 2022, including the failed Pennsylvania bid of David McCormick and the Arizona bid of Jim Lamon. Roe also worked on the successful Missouri campaign of Sen. Eric Schmitt (R).
Even while advising Youngkin, Roe spoke to multiple other presidential contenders about their preparations for a presidential effort, according to people familiar with the planning. He has made it widely known that he expected Axiom to work for another presidential contender in 2024, after leading the Cruz effort in 2016, which was the last time a Republican mounted a serious challenge to Trump.
Laura Vozzella and Isaac Stanley-Becker contributed to this report.
